Former Glen Haven Elementary teacher charged with trespassing being evaluated for competency

Nadine Dogbo became argumentative, insulted lawyer in court hearing

August 10, 2026 12:02 p.m.

Glen Haven Elementary School — Glen Haven Elementary building. Photo credit: G. Edward Johnson via WikiMedia Commons

A 27-year-old teacher previously assigned to Glen Haven Elementary in Silver Spring is being evaluated to determine if she is competent to stand trial after a confrontational hearing Friday in which she insulted her lawyer and argued she was not guilty.

Gaithersburg’s Nadine Akoko Sefako Dogbo was charged with trespassing, two counts of second-degree assault and “additional charges related to disrupting the educational process, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct” following a June 17 incident at the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) elementary school at 10900 Inwood Ave., according to a statement from police.

Dogbo was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond on June 18 in the case concerning alleged trespassing at Glen Haven Elementary. Unsecured bond means the bond is paid only if the suspect does not appear in court, and with pre-trial supervision. Then after a June 19 incident, Dogbo was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest.

Dogbo has since been held without bond. MCPS spokesperson Liliana López said Monday that Dogbo remains on leave.

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Dogbo was present in court Friday in Rockville for a hearing in connection with three incidents Dogbo is facing charges on, the June 18 Glen Haven incident, the June 19 incident and an incident on April 25 in which she was charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order and resisting/interfering with arrest. Dogbo is being represented by a private attorney, Alex Leikus, in the cases related to the June 19 and April 25 incidents, and the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office in the case related to Glen Haven Elementary.

When District Court Judge John Moffett brought forward the case to discuss the different representations in different cases, Leikus said that he met with Dogbo to attempt to negotiate a plea deal and that she was unhappy with him, and would likely like to speak for herself.

Dogbo argued in court that she was an educator with no charges prior to the three incidents and she didn’t want a plea deal, saying she wasn’t guilty. Dogbo became verbally argumentative with Leikus and Moffett after the two men discouraged her from discussing details of one of her cases, noting that what she says in court is being recorded and can be used against her.

Dogbo said she didn’t want Leikus to represent her and said he was fired, and insulted him several times as she was being led out of the courtroom. Moffett said he would be filing an order to determine whether Dogbo was competent to stand trial.

The Glen Haven incident

According to charging documents, on June 17 at roughly 11:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to Glen Haven Elementary for the report of trespassing. Glen Haven Principal Tara Strain told police, according to the documents, that Dogbo allegedly entered the school and made it past “all secure points” and when Strain attempted to stop her, Dogbo allegedly pushed her out of the way and walked into a classroom where she made contact with students.

In a letter to the school community provided to Bethesda Today, Strain said an “unauthorized former staff member” entered the building, prompting a call to police. The school was placed on lockdown from 11:34 a.m. to 11:49 a.m. while Dogbo, who was not named in the letter, was in the building.

A lockdown requires students to move away from sight, be quiet and listen to staff members, while adults gather students from the hallway, if possible. Staff are required to lock the classroom door, not open it and to turn off the lights. Students and staff must stay out of sight, be quiet and prepare to run or fight.

According to the documents, Assistant Principal Eric Soskil told police that he encountered Dogbo in the cafeteria, where students were eating lunch. Soskil said that he placed his arms up to attempt to stop Dogbo, and she “pushed her body into him” and began to yell “you’re not going to hit me, you’re not going to touch me” and then “went into a delusional speech,” according to charging documents. Dogbo then allegedly open-hand slapped Soskil as he attempted to guide her out of the cafeteria. Once outside of the cafeteria, according to the charging documents, Dogbo allegedly began tearing posters off the wall and knocking things over in the main entrance.

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When officers arrived at the scene, according to the documents, Dogbo was found walking outside the school and when officers told her to stop, she “fled on foot.” When police caught up with her, she was near the front entrance of the school and allegedly physically resisted. Dogbo also allegedly became “irate and verbally combative” while she was waiting in a caged police cruiser while police investigated.

After Dogbo left the building, the school transitioned to a secure status from 11:49 a.m. to 12:29 p.m., according to Strain’s letter.

Implementing a secure status directs students and adults to return to the building or for staff to bring everyone indoors. Staff should lock outside doors, account for all students and adults and conduct “business as usual,” according to the MCPS website. The status is meant to be used when an external threat occurs, such as police activity near schools.

“The school day was able to resume without any additional interruption,” Strain wrote.

Dogbo was released on bond following the incident, and during a June 18 bond hearing the public defender representing Dogbo said that Dogbo, who was recently diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, went to the school to visit former students. The public defender said Dogbo’s badge to get into the building still worked and Dogbo did not understand why she was being asked to leave the school. The public defender said they believed the incident was due to mental health issues and miscommunication.

In an email to Bethesda Today, when asked about whether Dogbo’s badge still worked for Glen Haven, López said she could not discuss the details of Dogbo’s leave due to personnel matters. When asked the protocol for taking away badge access when an employee is put on leave, López said their badges are collected when they are placed on leave, and if they are not collected, they are deactivated.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine